Category Archives: Estate Records

The Report is a mix of fact and fiction. The pedigree for my family line checks out perfect, but the listed coat of arms (a bee hive) and some timing in the sale of the 3 equal parcels of Follonsby Farm does not match historical record. One thing that is only mentioned in this report, and by that as word of mouth, that the Follansbee line in England starts with a Knight in the service of W.m. the Conqueror. While this makes for a great family story, the evidence does not bare this out. Available for anyone to view are historical records from Durham Cathedral that Follansbee Village was previously marsh and forest land that was drawn up to 702 acres and sold to Thorold de London around the 12th century by the Bishop of Durham. There is about a 90 year gap between William the Conq. and Thorold’s purchase.

Referring back to the coat of arms listed in the Report, A hive of Bees for Following bees does not match the history of the name. My prevailing theories on the name come from the original name Folete, Foletebi. If you have read the posts below, you may recall that Thorold’s son Nicolas is the first “de Foletebi” after he inherited the village from his father he was recorded as Nicolas de Foletebi. So, what we seem to have in the Report is a valid set of pedigrees, some scant information on the Follansbee Farms (former Village) in Durham Eng. and some filler information by our investigator.

The first section of the Report is titled “Organization” which comes in two parts, the preamble and the constitution. The preamble begins with its purpose and states a desire for further investigation in England. The Follansbees of America wanted to find and cash in on what they think to be a million dollar estate left in England.

ORGANIZATION

A general meeting of the Follansbee Family was holden in North Enfield, N. H. on the 8th day of May, 1865, in order to collect information relative to the Follansbee property in England, and to devise means to have a thorough investigation made of their claim to a very largo estate situated in England, said to belong to the Follansbee Family in America. It was thought that no longer delay should be allowed in this matter, but there should now be joint action and the question should be finally settled as to whom the property really belongs, and that steps should at once be taken to recover this immense estate if practicable. The Follansbee Family at this meeting was well represented, and the following Constitution was unanimously adopted:

THE FOLLANSBEE ASSOCIATION.

PREAMBLE.

Whereas, It is believed that there is in England, real and personal property to the amount of one million dollars or more, said to belong to the Follansbee family in America; and, whereas, the next of kin and heirs to this property are said to be in America; now, in order to prosecute that investigation and procure the pedigree of the family in this country, so as to connect them with the deceased who left the Estate, we, the undersigned, do agree to form ourselves into an Association under the following:

CONSTITUTION.

Art. 1. This Society shall be called the Follansbee Association,

Art. 2. C. M. Fisher, (.f London, England, and Columbus Smith, of Salisbury, Vt., are hereby appointed agents for the purpose of investigating the case in America and England, and are requested to make printed reports, from time to time, of their doings to the members of the Association.

Art. 3. C. G. White, of Middlebury, Vt., is hereby empowered to raise two thousand dollars, to cover the necessary expenses of investigating the case in America and England by issuing Scrip, which Scrip are to be the first lien upon the property when recovered.

Art. 4. Every ‘Scrip shall be sold for five dollars. entitling the holder to one hundred dollars out of the first money recovered from said Estate by any member of the Association, and no more scrip shall be sold by said agent than shall be necessary to raise said sum of two thousand dollars and the sum of ten percent shall be deducted by the said agent to remunerate him for selling.

Art. 5. The said Smith and Fisher are to receive the sum of two thousand dollars, (after deducting the ten per cent, from the sale of said Scrip,) and in addition thereto, we agree to pay them ten percent, of all the money or property which they may find due said family, that we, or any of us, or our heirs, executors, administrators or assigns shall ever recover from said property.

Art. 6. We further agree that the said White shall receive ten percent, of all the money or property which may be found due said family that we, or any of us, or our heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, shall ever recover from said Estate.

Art. 7. No member of this Association shall be liable to pay more than one dollar, as expenses, or compensation, or otherwise, to any person or persons whatever.

Art 8. Any member of the Follansbee Family may become a member of this

Association by paying to C. G. White, agent as aforesaid, and by signing this Constitution, and each member shall be entitled to a printed report of all information gained in the case.

All members of the Follansbee family in America are invited to become members of this Association, and requested to forward their pedigree(so far as they know them) to Columbus Smith, West Salisbury, Vt., or to C. G. White, of :Middlebury, Vt. The following named persons are members of the Follansbee Association, as well as some others who have signed the Constitutions not yet returned.

[Here I have omitted the names listed for brevity]

REPORT

TO THE FOLLANSBBE ASSOCIATION:

According to the wishes of the Association, I will here give you all the information I have been able to collect from different members of the Follansbee family, and from other sources in America. This report must necessary be very imperfect, not yet having been able to collect much information relative to the case, nor the pedigree of but few branches of this somewhat numerous family. Most members of this family are aware that from the early part of this century, it has been talked of, by members of the Follansbee family, that there was a large property in England which had been left for them, by a Follansbee in England. Mr. Waldo, of Randolph, VT, says: That, as early as 1810, there was great excitement there about the large property coming to Moses Follansbee and his heirs, from England. Wm. P. Wills, of E. Randolph, VT., says: I recollect, about 1807 or 1808, there was great excitement with the people in consequence of information that came from England, to Moses Follansbee, that there was a large property in England that belonged to the Follansbee’s in America; that some of the heirs were offered $1,000 at that time for their claim. Many others, in Randolph and vicinity, recollect the same thing.

Seth P. Follansbee, of Enfield, says: I distinctly recollect, when a mere boy, of hearing my father, (Joseph Follansbee), tell my mother, that his father, Joseph Follansbee, had received a letter from England, saying there was a large property in England belonging to him and his connection. This was in the year 1809 or 1810.

I am informed that, as early as 1810, the Follansbee’s sent a Mr. Seabury, from Canaan. N.H., to England, to look after the property that, a short time previous to that, an advertisement appeared in the American papers, calling for the Fallansbees in America, to claim a property in England. I have not been able to get a copy of this advertisement, nor have I been able to learn what was done in England by Mr. Seabury, or whether he ever reported to the claimants.

Next post I will continue with the Report which then begins to be a copy of letters on the investigation into the family tree and the estate in England.

FOLLONSBY, CLOSE TO HEWORTH, AND ALSO IN THE PARISH OF JARROW, IS NOT MENTIONED BY SYMEON. IT LIES TO THE SOUTH OF THE WREKENDYKE, WHICH ANCIENT ROAD PROBABLY BOUNDED THE ENCLOSED AND CULTIVATED LANDS AT THE TIME OF BISHOP WALCHER’S GIFT.

Symeon (Simeon) was a Monk and Historian of Durham Priory, his birth was around 1060 and he died after 1129. He was a contemporary of Bishop William Walcher (Bishop from 1071 to 1080) the first pre-reformation/post-conquest Bishop and of William de St-Calais (Bishop from 1081 to 1096) the second Bishop of that era. Wekendyke road was an ancient road with Pre-Roman and Roman history that ran through the south east part of an area called The Felling (which encompasses Follingsby.) Here, I have borrowed a map from http://www.gateshead-history.com/early-history-of-the-felling.html

AT SOME LATER TIME, AND NOT UNLIKELY WHEN THOROLD OBTAINED HIS GRANT, FOLLONSBY APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CARVED OUT OF THE MOOR, THE MARSH LAND BETWEEN THE PRIOR AND CONVENT’S POSSESSIONS ON THE NORTH OF THE WREKENDYKE, AND THE LAND OF THE BISHOP FURTHER TO THE SOUTH.

So, our author commenting on the recorded estates here thinks that since Symeon did not mention Follonsby, it was created after Symeon and probably when Thorad de London received his grant from Bishop William of St. Barbara who was the sixth Bishop serving from 1143 to 1153. This is a nice observation that ties into a previous post https://follansbeehistory.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/where-is-follingsby/ where I wondered if the wording “perambulated and drawn up” meant created or verified. If we were to agree with the author here it would mean created and we would have the beginning of the Follonsby Village. However, we still do not have a tie from the Village to the name Follansbee outside of our ancestors being in the Durham area during the time the village was there.

Below I left the Latin intact for the purists who want to play with it on Google translate. You can skip down the page to 2. IT WILL BE REMEMBERED to pick up our story.

THE DIFFICULTY CREATED BY THE GRANTS OF BISHOPS GALFRID AND HUGH OF AN ESTATE, WHICH BELONGED TO THE PRIOR AND CONVENT, IS THUS REMOVED, FOR, IF THE SUPPOSITION STATED ABOVE IS CORRECT, THESE GRANTS REFER TO THE BOUNDARIES OF A NEW PIECE OF ENCLOSED LAND, WHICH BORDERED UPON THE MANORS OF THE BISHOP. THE FACT THAT THE CHARTERS, OF BOTH THE BISHOPS, PARTICULARIZE THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN FOLLONSBY AND THE ADJACENT VILLS, IS IN FAVOUR OF THIS VIEW. THE TIME WHEN THE NEW VILL OF FOLLONSBY WAS CREATED MUST HAVE BEEN BETWEEN THE DATE OF THE FORGED CHARTER OF BISHOP WILLIAM THE FIRST, AND THE 5 JOHN, IN WHOSE CONFIRMATORY CHARTER OF THAT DATE THE PLACE OCCURS. AN INQUISITION WAS HELD 6 HENR. V., 13 BP. THOMAS, OF THE MANOR OF FOLLONSBY, ALIENATED BY SIR WILLIAM HYLTON, KNT. TO SIR PETER TYLIOL, KNT., WITHOUT THE BISHOP’S LICENSE, WHEN JOHN DE NEWTON, ROGER DE THORNTON AND THOMAS PITTINGTON, CHAPLAIN, THE TENANTS OF THE MANOR, SAID THAT IT WAS HELD OF THE PRIOR AND CONVENT IN SOCAGE.

IT WILL BE REMEMBERED THAT THOROLD OF LONDON BOUGHT PIPEWELLGATE FROM THE BISHOP, AND IT IS PROBABLE THAT HE ALSO BOUGHT FOLLONSBY OF THE PRIOR AND CONVENT. FROM THE PRECEDING CHARTER IT SEEMS THAT HE HAD NOT PAID FOR EITHER ESTATE, AT ALL EVENTS IN FULL, AND, WHEN THEY PASSED INTO THE HANDS OF HIS SON NICHOLAUS, HE TOOK UPON HIMSELF HIS FATHER’S DEBTS TO BOTH THE BISHOP AND CONVENT.

Of interest here, is that Nicolas is the first to be called de Folletebi or Nicholaus of Follonsby. You can catch it if you keep reading.

NO GRANT OF PIPEWELL GATE TO NICHOLAS EXISTS, BUT FROM THE WORDING OF THE CHARTER UNDER CONSIDERATION, THAT THOROLD WAS TO LIVE EITHER AT GATESHEAD OR FOLLONSBY, AS HE INCLINED, IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT HIS GATESHEAD PROPERTY HAD EQUALLY WITH THAT AT FOLLONSBY BEEN ACQUIRED BY NICHOLAS. THE VILL WAS ALSO GRANTED TO THE SAME NICHOLAS BY HIS BROTHER “HELIAS FILIUS TORALDI DE NOVO CASTELLO SUPER TYNAM, CONCESSU BERTRAND PRIONS ET CONVENTUS ECCLESIŒ,” WHO ON HIS SEAL CALLS HIMSELF HELIAS CLERICUS. HE DESCRIBES IT AS HITHERTO HELD BY NICHOLAS “DE DEO ET SANCTO CUTH- BERTO, FACIENDO ILLUD SERVICIUM PRIORI ET CONVENTUI DUNELMENSI QUOD TORAL- DUS PATER SUI ET MEI FECIT IN DIEBUS SUIS.” THE CHURCH OF DURHAM WAS, THEREFORE, IN SPITE OF THE GRANT BY BISHOP GALFRID, IN THE POSITION OF SUPERIOR LORD, AND THOROLD AND HIS FAMILY HELD UNDER THEM. THE FOLLOWING CHARTER FITLY FINDS A PLACE HERE. NICHOLAUS DE FOLETTEBI … DE CON- CESSIONE ET VOLUNTATE CRISTIANŒ UXORIS MEŒ ET HEREDUM MEORUM, . . . DEO ET DOMUI ELEMOSINARIŒ SANCTI CUTHBERTI IN DUNELM. . . . XL ACRAS TERRŒ WAIG- NABILCS, IN CAMPO DE FOLETTEBI . . . ET TOTAM MEDIETATEM MARISCI QUSE EST INTER PRSEDICTAM TERRAM VERSUS SUST- RUM, SCILICET, QUANTUM LATITUDE J ACГŒ ET DIMIDIŒ EXTENDITUR, ET ILLUD TOF- TUM ET CROFTUM QUI FUERUNT MELDR’ IN VILLA DE FOLETTEBI . . . HIIS TESTI- BUS, ROGERO DE KIBLESWRTH, WILLELMO DE OSUURTHA, WILLELMO DE KETTUN, WALTERO DE FERIE, ROGERO DE FERIA, WALTERO DE WESSINGTONE, WILLELMO DE MUNKETONE, WALTERO DE HEWRDA, WILLELMO DE FULLWELLE, SIGAR’ DE HETHEUURD’, JOHANNE DE GARUE, ODARD LNN ET ALIIS. LIBER ELEMOS., FO. 27.

Below we read of how the village changed hands from Ol’ Nick to Robert Fitz Roger and from Robert to the Durham Convent.

BISHOP HUGO DE PUSAT, BY A GRANT MADE EARLY IN HIS EPISCOPATE, PRINTED P. 10, »., GIVES THE VILL TO THE CONVENT. FROM THE TERMS OF THIS CHARTER, WHICH CONTAINS THE BOUNDARIES BE TWEEN FOLLONSBY AND THE BISHOP’S MANOR OF BOLDON, THERE CAN BE LITTLE DOUBT THAT NO PRIMARY GRANT WAS MADE BY THIS INSTRUMENT, BUT THAT IT WAS GIVEN, IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE ERECTION OF THE NEW VILL OUT OF THE MARCH BETWEEN THE BISHOP AND THE PRIOR AND CONVENT, TO THE LATTER AS THE SUPREME LORDS OF THE VILL, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR SUB-FEUDATORY. ABOUT THE END OF THE 12TH CENTURY THE PRIOR AND CONVENT GRANTED TWO PARCELS OF LAND OUT OF THEIR WASTE AT THE LEAM. THE CHARTERS IN CONNEC TION WITH THIS ARE GIVEN BELOW. THE DISTRICT CALLED THE LEAM IS PARTLY IN UPPER HEWORTH AND PARTLY IN FOLLONSBY. BARTRAMUS PRIOR ET CONVENTUS DUNELM. ECCLESIŒ . . . JOHANNI DE CUPUM, PRO HOMAGIO ET SERVITIO SUO, XXX ACRAS TERRŒ IN VASTO NOSTRO DE LEM, TENENDAS ET HABENDAS SIBI ET HEREDIBUS SUIS DE NOBIS IN FEOUDO ET HEREDITATE . . . REDDENDO INDE NOBIS ANNUATIM 10S. … ET FACIENT NOBIS COMMUNE AUXILIUM QUANDOCUMQUE IPSUM AUXILIUM PER TOTAM TERRAM NOSTRAM PONEMUS, ET SEQUENTUR MOLENDINUM NOSTRUM. HIIS TESTI- BUS, MAGISTRO WALTERO DE HADINTONE, MAGISTRO ALANO DE RICHEMUNDE, WILLELMO DE MONEKETONE, NICOLAO DE FOLETEBY, WALTERO DE HEWUR’, HELYA, SIMONE ET SIG’ DE HETHEWURD, ADAM DE AWIC, JOHANNE DE KETTONE, RICARDO BRUN, ET THOMA DE CAMERA ET MULTIS ALIIS. CART. QUART., IO. 288, A. BERTRAMUS PRIOR ET CONVENTUS DUNELMENSIS ECCLESIŒ . . . JOHANNI DE HEBERME, PRO HOMAGIO ET SERVITIO SUO, XXX ACRAS TERRŒ IN VASTO NOSTRO DE LEM, TENENDAS ET HABENDAS SIBI ET HEREDIBUS SUIS DE NOBIS IN FEOUDO ET HEREDITATE . . . LIBERE . . . EXCEPTO QUOD NOBIS INDE REDDENT ANNUATIM 7S. 6D. … ET FACIENT NOBIS COM MUNE AUXILIUM QUANDOCUMQUE IPSUM AUXILIUM PER TOTAM TERRAM NOSTRAM PONEMUS, ET SEQUENTUR MOLENDINUM NOSTRUM. [THE SAME WITNESSES AS IN THE PRECEDING CHARTER, BUT HAVING IN ADDITION GIBBE.] IT IS INDORSED: HOC SCRIPTUM REDDIDIT NOBIS ROBERTUS GRAY DE HEBERN ANNO DNI. 1 504, PRO MUNERE DATO SIBI. I”” 4′” SPEC., 105.

There we have it. The scant evidence and educated opinion that Follonsby was a newly created villiage when it was purchased by Thorad de London. Why did he name it Folettebi? Previously I dug into the name Folet and the mix of Scandinavian, French and German parts of Follingsby giving us the meaning Village of Folet. There is another possible that I will dig into next time. There is no recorded name Folet, but the word has a meaning of full, could Fulletebi be a villiage full of trees in an area that has been felled of them? Till next time..

Since my main interest is the information from the archives, I left off the cataloging system here. So for example the original post at the link provided shows:

DCD/K/LP1/42/1 – 12 3.12.1736 and others undated
Documents relating to a dispute between Dean and Chapter and Baron Hilton re property at Follingsby.

Where I just show:

3.12.1736 and others undated
Documents relating to a dispute between Dean and Chapter and Baron Hilton re property at Follingsby.

Italicized comments are my personal notes.

Follingsby

3.12.1736 and others undated

Documents relating to a dispute between Dean and Chapter and Baron Hilton re property at Follingsby.

(Dean and Chapter was the Governing Authority after King Henry VIII abolished Roman Catholicism and appointed a Dean and Chapter in A.D. 1541)

3 December 1736
Note re Baron Hylton’s claim to property (The first Baron Hylton was Robert Hylton, 1st Baron Hylton (d. 1322) and there remains a Baron Hylton today. The date here being 1736 leads me to view the 18th Baron, John Hylton (1699–1746) as the person mentioned.

[undated]
Note of the grants of Follingsby over a period of 600 years, observations and answers to allegations in support of Baron Hylton’s claim to the lands in dispute

[undated]
Observations on the boundaries of Follingsby and plan of the property in dispute

[undated]
Another plan of the property in dispute

[undated]
Case of the Dean and Chapter and their title to the property in dispute. (Dean and Chapter as a post 1541 authority, so while undated we can assume this was after 1541 and King Henry VIII dissolution of Roman Catholicism)

[undated]
Copy of charter of Geoffrey Rufus, bishop of Durham, giving Follingsby to Thorald of London, as in Cart.II (We know the village was given to Thoral by Rufus around A.D. 1144 from Durham Episcopal Charters 1071-1152.)

[undated]
Copies of :Charter of Thorald of London confirming gift of the vill to his son Nicholas.
Various Quitclaims.

Charterof Robert son of Roger confirming gift of the vill to the prior and monks of Durham.

[undated]
Copies of:Charter of Bishop Hugh of le Puiset confirming possession of the vill by the monks of Durham.
A division made between Heworth & the vill and Boldon & the vill.Charter of William, prior, confirming possession of the vill by Bartholomew Marsh

undated and incomplete
Copies of:
Grant by William, prior, & the convent to Wm son of Wm of Wessington of 80 acres of land in the vill, 6.1.1311/12.
Lease by Richard, prior, & the convent to Wm, baron of Hylton for 79 years of a mill-pond in Great Usworth,
Rent: 2s:0d.

The following three entries appear to be the source of comments in other documents that Follingsby was simultaneously granted to three individuals.

[undated]
Copies of:
Division between Heworth & the vill and Boldon & the vill. Note of grant of the vill by Bishop Hugh of le Puiset to Prior& Convent. Undated
Lease of a mill-pond in Great Usworth for 79 yrs. 1470.
Division between Boldon and the vill.

[undated]
Copies of:
Division between Heworth & the vill and Boldon & the vill
Note of grant of the vill by Bishop Hugh of le Puiset to the Prior
Note of lease of a mill-dam for 79 yrs on 9.6.1470
Notes of two grants by the Prior and Convent 1311 (see notes)

[undated]
Copies of:
Division between Heworth & the vill and Boldon & the vill.
Note of grant of the vill by Bishop Hugh of le Puiset to the Prior.
Note re a mill-dam (grant)
Notes of two grants by the Prior and Convent 1311. (see notes)